Humans have been growing plants for thousands of years. Farmers and horticulturists make their living growing food and other plants, while other people grow gardens for pleasure. Becoming a good gardener requires a Scout to understand the science of growing plants, how to prepare the soil, how to select and plant seeds, and how to care for the growing plants.
Requirements[]
- Do the following:
- Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter while working near a bee hive or colony, and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
- Show that you know first aid for treating symptoms from bee stings that could occur while working near a hive or colony of bees, including anaphylactic shock, pain, swelling, redness, itchiness, and skin rash.
- Do the following:
- Grow six vegetables, three from seeds and three from seedlings, through harvest.
- Grow six flowers, three from seeds and three from seedlings, through flowering.
- Give the food value of the following:
- Three root or tuber crops
- Three vegetables that bear above the ground
- Three fruits
- Test 100 seeds for germination. Determine the percentage of seeds that germinate. Explain why you think some did not germinate.
- Visit your county extension agent's office, local university agricultural college, nursery, or a botanical garden or arboretum. Report on what you learned.
- Identify five garden pests (insects, diseased plants). Recommend two solutions for each pest. At least one of the two solutions must be an organic method.
- Do ONE of the following:
- Build a compost bin and maintain it for 90 days.
- Build a vermipost bin (worm compost bin) and maintain it for 90 days.
- Build a hydroponic garden containing three vegetables or herbs, or three ornamental plants. Maintain this garden through harvest or flowering, or for 90 days.
- Build one water garden, either in a container (at least 12 by 6 inches and 6 inches deep), or in the ground as a small, decorative pond no larger than 6 by 3 feet and 24 inches deep. Maintain the water garden for 90 days.
- Prepare a honey super for use on a hive or colony. Remove a filled honey super from the hive or colony and prepare the honey for sale.